Deal reached on Violence Against Women Act after controversial provision is scrapped

By Lauren Fox and Ali Zaslav, CNN

A deal has been reached to renew the Violence Against Women Act, according to two sources familiar with the talks.

The deal came after a controversial provision was dropped from the legislation that dealt with whether unmarried partners could keep guns if they were found guilty of violence against a dating partner.

The National Rifle Association was opposed to closing the so-called boyfriend loophole, and it threatened to crater GOP support for the bill.

Asked about why the provision was dropped from the bill, Republican Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa told CNN, “Otherwise it doesn’t get done.”

The legislation is expected to officially be introduced Wednesday at a news conference, marking a years-long effort to reach a deal to try and renew the legislation, which expired in 2018.

One of the major hang ups in moving forward in recent years with VAWA, which is overwhelmingly bipartisan, had been the NRA’s staunch opposition to a provision aiming to close the “boyfriend loophole,” Democratic senators have said.

The current law bans any individual convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence from purchasing or possessing a firearm. Democratic lawmakers have long sought to expand the law to extend that coverage to dating partners, convicted stalkers and any individual under a protective order.

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